'Medvedev represents the best of the Russian critical tradition. His clear writing and creative analysis stand out amidst the muddle of twenty-first-century writing about Russia. He has been right all along and he is right again in this book.'Tim Snyder, Yale University'In an ocean of recently published books on Putin and Putin's Russia, Medvedev's illuminating work stands on its own with its focus on Russia's Putin: Putin as an embodiment of Russia's national idea.'Ivan Krastev, Centre for Liberal Strategies, Sofia'Brilliant'Victor Sebestyen, The Sunday Times'The outstanding clarity of Medvedev's thought and style places him in the front rank of Russian-born critics of Putin.'Financial Times
Introduction. Method in this MadnessPart I. The Anatomy of ViolenceThe State Came After the BodyBack to 1937The Final DiagnosisPeople as 'The New Oil'The Zoos of TerrorThe Generator of EntropyPart II. The Memory CrusadKolyma by the KremlinMemorial to Russian ResentmentThus Spake ZhirinovskyThe Offering Made to the Ninth of MayA Long Farewell to EmpirePart III. The War NationThe Zombie ApocalypseRevenge of the Underground ManThe Z VirusRussia Inside OutMobilization as Russian FateThe Age of the SledgehammerWar as a National IdeaThe Unfinished Work of 1945NotesIndex
Sergei Medvedev is a Fellow at the Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies at the University of Helsinki and a Professor at the Charles University in Prague.